I have 2 ways to do this: 1, post it here and hope someone posts a link, or 2, do it all myself. I personally HATE the treasure parcels for 4e (what magic items do you want, kiddies? MAGIC SWORDS! LOTSA MONEYZ!) (That was an exagguration, or at least the second part), but I'm running an Ars Ludi West Marches type game, and, well, parcels don't make any sense in that type of game because EVERYTHING is random. (I'm starting to wish I had set the game in 3.5...) So, anyone know about a treasure system like that?

Inyssius Tor

2008-10-16, 05:38 PM

I have 2 ways to do this: 1, post it here and hope someone posts a link, or 2, do it all myself. I personally HATE the treasure parcels for 4e (what magic items do you want, kiddies? MAGIC SWORDS! LOTSA MONEYZ!) (That was an exagguration, or at least the second part), but I'm running an Ars Ludi West Marches type game, and, well, parcels don't make any sense in that type of game because EVERYTHING is random. (I'm starting to wish I had set the game in 3.5...) So, anyone know about a treasure system like that?

I have no idea what you are bitching about regarding the parcel system; can you elucidate?

I think I can see a legitimate complaint regarding West Marches treasure, there. It's a laissez-faire style, and that doesn't work very well with massaging the numbers as the party goes along; you'd prefer to have all the treasure parcelled out to various hiding places and enemies before the game even starts.

Some questions: what is your setting like? How dungeon-crawly is it, if you know what I mean? How many enemies are there, and what are they? What's the possibility of bypassing trouble via negotiation?

What do you see as thematically appropriate ways to gain wealth? Will it pretty much all be kicking orcs in the face and taking their stuff? Looting evil/mostly-abandoned temples much? Finding magic swords stuck through tree trunks? Negotiating with the local fey? Do you prefer handing out magic swords with names and long histories, or bags of gold?

Sequinox

2008-10-16, 05:46 PM

For treasure, old fashioned hack and slash stuff. (killing and looting and all that fun, doodah, doodah) This is what we do when we don't want to worry about plot lines.

But about the parcels... I don't know, really. I really liked random treasure. I guess I got carried away. Anyway, random treasure just seemed to work better. Another problem is that I'm never really sure how many people I'm playing with, and plenty of people make new characters all the time, so it's just that I really don't want to worry about treasure for each and every new character as they come along. Don't get me wrong, I like 4e, I just don't really like the treasure system.